APTnovel Chapter 187 Golden Cage
Chapter 187 Golden Cage
Chapter 187 Golden Cage
The driver explained to Lola that this road was not suitable for wooden wheels.
If it had been a month or two later, the entire frozen continent, except for parts of the southern community, would have been covered in ice and snow.
He will then switch to snowmobile, which will allow him to travel unimpeded and save him a third of the time, no matter where he goes.
But Lola didn't care about time, since Anne wasn't at the Herald Academy anyway, and she even wished time would pass faster.
I also hope that I can grow taller.
Therefore, she didn't mind wasting some time on the road.
Her journey ended at the Colorful Flag Square in the Eastern Community.
Although the permafrost continent has the world's only miasma tree, most plants actually struggle to grow there due to the extremely harsh environment.
But they're not completely stingy; there's a birch forest near the flag square.
Lola's goal was to find a "scholar" who lived in seclusion in this birch forest.
However, he may have left long ago. Lolotti said that the last time he contacted this person was more than a decade ago.
Lolo said he wanted to have a heated debate with his old friend to resolve his confusion.
Therefore, Laura offered to help him find the other party.
Lola had no special feelings for Lolotti, and she didn't really care what the correct answer to his theory was.
If that's the case, why did Lola go to all that trouble and volunteer herself?
Lola had thought about this problem many times, and she felt it was not in line with her usual style.
She never takes the initiative to do certain things, but this time she acted unlike herself.
Laura recalled carefully and realized that she hadn't thought about anything at the time; she had just acted impulsively and made that decision in a moment of passion.
Anne had reminded Lola not to act impulsively.
Perhaps impulsiveness, Laura thought, is my long-standing flaw.
Laura couldn't tell whether doing nothing or acting on impulse was more harmful.
But if you always stay the same, you will become very boring.
No—Lola exhaled a long breath through her nose, which turned into white mist in the cold air. Perhaps I've long been a boring person.
During her time away from the library, Lola discovered that people are always drawn to interesting things, but tend to discard ordinary people or things as if they were worthless.
It's likely that Anne and Aaron felt the same way, but Anne remained close to Lola.
But Lola knew that it was only because she was Anne's sister that she was being treated this way. If she lost that bond, perhaps even Anne wouldn't be able to leave.
He didn't want to talk to her either.
So Lola felt that being a little impulsive wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Impulsiveness can break Lola's tranquility and paint a vibrant picture in her gray world.
At least she's traveling now, experiencing new things.
In her view, this is what growing up is all about.
Lola never felt that she was indispensable, nor did she have high expectations for herself.
For her, any change is enough.
The carriage sped into the Flag Square and placed Lola on the hard paving stones.
She looked up and saw that the sky above the city was filled with silk threads, with colorful little triangular flags hanging there.
A cold wind blows, and the small flag flutters.
The driver had told Lola on the way that the Eastern Community was a mixed area of various faiths.
The dominant religion in the Rainbow Flag Square is the Lord of the Sky.
He was a valiant god who conquered the world riding a falcon, wielding the power of storms and thunder.
The falcon is fond of a variety of colors, and the colorful flags flying over the city are meant to attract the divine falcon, thus bringing about a miracle.
Laura does not believe in any gods in the Eastern world, but she originally followed her blood relatives in their belief in nature.
But nature did not protect its followers and worshippers, leaving them to be enslaved, and Lola also abandoned the faith.
However, there's nothing wrong with being an atheist; Aaron seems to be one.
Therefore, Lola was not interested in the local religious culture.
She immediately found a restaurant, ate a simple meal, and of course, didn't forget to order a glass of milk.
She then immediately set off, leaving the square and walking into the nearby birch forest.
This place is covered in snow all year round. Even now, in the summer, the pure white snow can still reach and swallow up Lola's calves. Luckily, she was wearing snowshoes, otherwise, with her short legs, she would definitely have had a hard time making this trip.
Lolotti said that the "scholar" left some marks near his hideout so that he could be present in case of an emergency.
His old acquaintances can find him.
Lola navigated through the forest following the instructions provided by Lolotti and using a needle compass.
To be honest, if it weren't for these clues, Lola would probably have gotten lost in this world of white snow and white trees long ago.
Lola felt that Snow was like her sister, Li Sheng.
Listen, how quiet it is all around.
Apart from the gentle sound of the wind and the crunch of shoes on the snow, Lola could hear nothing else.
The scenery here is just as beautiful, and Lola feels she could stay here for a whole year.
Monotonous, pure, without noise, without strife, without disturbance.
She even felt a little envious of Loloti's reclusive friend.
She secretly decided that one day when Annie got married, she would also find a snowy place to live in seclusion.
Night fell quickly, and the forest was darker than I had imagined.
Although there were no clouds overhead, the stars hung clearly in the sky.
Lola gathered her power, constructed a magic circle, and used the Radiant Realm to cut through the air.
Purple crystals floated in mid-air, emitting a purple light that allowed Lola to see the path beneath her feet.
Recently, Lola felt that she had made great progress in her mastery of the Radiant Realm.
She discovered that the stability of her ability when using it was related to her emotional fluctuations.
The calmer and more composed she was, the more the effect of her power aligned with her expectations.
The mind magic that Lolotti taught Lola was just what could help her regulate her emotions.
This is why Lola can use the Radiant Realm as she pleases now.
She felt that with her current level, even if she added another Mist Realm anchor point, there shouldn't be too much risk.
After walking for a while, she finally found her destination.
A small wooden cabin sits amidst a snow-covered birch forest.
Various tools were laid out outside the house: wooden stakes, a cutting table, a stove, and a grinding wheel.
It must have been thanks to these things that the owner of the house was able to be self-sufficient and live alone in the snowy forest.
Lola walked toward the cabin, intending to knock on the door and explain her purpose.
But when she took a certain step, the hairs on her body stood on end instantly.
This was her body or instinct; she sensed danger.
Lola belatedly realized that there was indeed an imperceptible energy quietly surging within the ground beneath her feet.
Lola planned to retreat back into the woods immediately, but—
It's too late.
Ten golden beams of light suddenly burst forth from the ground.
And it stretches ever upwards toward the sky, as if intending to pierce the clouds.
Each of these beams of light was thicker than Lola's arm and formed a circle, perfectly encircling her.
It was like a prison.
Lola panicked at the sudden crisis and instinctively wanted to leave the light prison.
She tried to pass through, but the moment her skin touched the beam of light, an electric current flowed through her skin and into her entire body.
The intense stinging pain made Lola roll her eyes and immediately shrink back.
This light prison is extraordinary!
Lola immediately constructed a magic circle, intending to use the Radiant Realm to devour the bars of the Light Prison.
The Radiant Realm did indeed devour some of the pillars of light, but in the blink of an eye, all of those pillars of light regenerated.
And no matter how many times she repeats it, the result is the same!
Her Radiant Clouds technique might miss sometimes, but never before has it been like this, where even if it hits, it still fails to achieve the desired effect!
The thick snow underfoot indicated how cold it was, but large beads of sweat rolled down Lola's forehead!
Right now, she is helpless against this prison of light!
Lola could feel her heart pounding wildly; she was in a state of extreme panic.
She understood that in this state, the current unexpected situation could not be resolved safely.
So she immediately used mind magic to modify her emotions and force herself to become calm.
She carefully used her magical powers to penetrate the brain and manipulated it precisely.
Soon, she became so calm that she seemed devoid of emotion.
She re-examined the situation with an almost world-weary look in her eyes.
After some thought, Lola concluded that she could not resolve the current crisis on her own.
However, she also guessed that this must be a trap set by the reclusive "scholar" to prevent external enemies.
Lola is not the other party's enemy, so in this situation, all she needs to do is summon the other party, identify herself, and state her purpose.
The other party should be able to rescue her.
After thinking it over, Lola reconstructed the magic circle, preparing to attack the small house in front of her.
If the house is damaged, even if the scholar is fast asleep, the noise will surely wake him up.
Just as she was about to summon the Radiant Realm, she heard an order:
"Do not move."
Lola was startled; the voice came from behind her!
She quickly turned around to see who it was, and hurriedly constructed a new magic circle in preparation for a counterattack.
Illuminated by the magic circle and the light prison, Lola could make out the other person's outline.
The man was wearing a violet-purple robe, the hood covering his face, so Lola could only make out his short, grayish-white beard.
He held his arms upright in front of his chest, palms facing inward, fingers slightly spread.
He immediately said, "I said, don't move—"
As he spoke, the other person slightly bent his index finger.
A beam of light suddenly rushed towards Lola.
She had nowhere to hide and was struck by the electric current. The stinging pain made her mind go blank, and the magic circle she had created in her palm dissipated.
But the man didn't seem to intend to kill Lola; he only taught her a lesson before withdrawing the beam of light.
Laura was able to catch her breath, but every muscle in her body was still trembling slightly.
This person is very strong... Laura concluded.
"Don't move," the man continued, "Now you understand?"
Lola nodded and stood quietly in place.
"Who are you?"
"Lola."
Why are you here?
Looking for someone?
"Who?"
"A bachelor named Nate."
The other party paused briefly, then continued to ask:
"What do you want with him?"
"A friend of his asked me to come and see him."
"Who is that person?"
"Loloti".
Although she couldn't see the other person's face under the hood, Lola could sense the strange emotions emanating from him.
After a moment, he asked again:
"So, he's the one who told you how to find this cabin?"
"Yes," Lola nodded.
"Hmph!" the man chuckled. "That old bastard is still alive!"
After speaking, the man crossed his hands and waved them, instantly dissipating the light prison that had trapped Lola.
"You've come to the right place, I am Nate."
Lola had expected this outcome. Given how remote and difficult to find this place was, she couldn't imagine anyone else would come, so she simply nodded.
The man continued, "I imagine you have much to say to me, and I, too, have many questions to ask. But the night is dark and the wind is cold..."
Let's go inside and talk about it.
Lola agreed, and turned to walk toward the cottage.
However, Nate suddenly called out to her, "Hey! Little girl, where are you going?"
"?" Lola looked at Nate in confusion. "Weren't we going inside?"
"Since Lolotti sent you, how could you not know it was an illusion?"
Nate turned his back to Laura and said,
"That's a smokescreen, specifically designed to prevent attacks—over here."
Seeing Nate already taking a step, Lola finally realized what was going on.
She couldn't help but stare at the little house for a while longer, but she couldn't find any flaws. This illusion was really realistic!
So—Lola thought—I was tricked from the very beginning!
This guy named Nate is definitely not simple!
Laura snapped out of her daze and quickly jogged to catch up with Nate.
As she approached, Neitou hid under his hood and secretly glanced at Lola:
"Are you a magician?"
"Yes."
"This is quite rare. Magicians and wizards occupy similar ecological niches, so they have always been at odds. The frozen continent is the home of witchcraft, so how could we possibly encounter a magician?"
"But I am also a wizard."
Lola wasn't sure what the quantitative standards for being a wizard were, but Lolotti had told her that she could already call herself a wizard.
"Really?" Nate's lips curled into a smile. "What an enviable talent—and your magic can even devour energy bodies!"
Lola understood; Nate was referring to Lola's earlier attempt to use the Radiant Realm to destroy the Light Prison.
"But it failed."
"You haven't completely broken my witchcraft," Nate said, "but your power can indeed directly devour energy. Such a rare and powerful ability shouldn't be easy to master, right?"
Lola nodded, thinking to herself, "It's still very dangerous."
"I'm very curious, where exactly did that old geezer Lolo find you and make you run errands for him?"
"In the Phantom Society," Laura replied, "and I was his assistant."
"Loloti is indeed from the Phantom Society," Neyt nodded, "but your identity as an 'assistant' has piqued my interest—."
As Nate finished speaking, the two walked out of the woods and came to a clearing with a small house sitting on it.
This room is exactly the same as the illusion Nate described!
"Little girl, we've arrived—"